Home Remedy for Sunburn

You may want to hold back on the vaseline--it may be too thick for his skin to breathe, holding in the heat. Aloe vera gel is good and gives the skin a cooling sensation along with pulling the heat out.
Try it.

Aloe Vera is great... and cucumber is also refreshing... just apply it on the skin... It's not going to help to get better, it's just refreshing....
It's horrible!!! good luck!
N.

I am allergic to UVB rays, and get sun poisoning by just even being out in the sun for 10 minutes with no sunscreen (and even with sunscreen, sometimes!). Sounds like he has sun poisoning, which causes those bumps (similar to a heat rash). It's just an allergic reaction to too much sun. I always soak a rag (like an old cloth diaper) in cold milk and apply to the worst areas. Really helps soothe the skin.

Bad Case of Sunburn? Three-Step Relief...

Quick. As soon as possible, take a cold shower. The cold water will stop your skin from continuing to burn.

Next. Mix equal amounts of baking soda and cornstarch, depending on how much skin got sunburned, then add enough water to make a paste. Apply it to the affected areas.

If a lot of your body is sunburned, pour cornstarch and baking soda into a cool bath, and relax in it for a while. When you get out, forget the towel—just dry off naturally with the cornstarch and baking soda on your skin.

Then. Apply aloe vera gel directly on the sunburned areas. Aloe vera gel is available at health-food stores.

Got this from Wilen Sisters Household Hints. good luck!

Aloe vera never worked well for me, but vinegar works great! Takes the sting out and the burn seems to heal faster too. Just put plain old white vinegar on a cloth and gently rub the burned area - or if that's too painful put it in a spray bottle and spritz him. He'll smell like a salad for a while, but will feel better.

Although vaseline is great for chapped skin (lips, wind burn on cheeks in winter, sore skin under nose when you have sniffles, etc), it's not great for sunburn in general because it doesn't help to take the stinging away.
The sun killed off a layer of skin, blood rushes in to repair/regrow new skin (the red flush we see), and then the dead skin sloughs off/peels within a few days which can be rather itchy.
A cool damp wash cloth over the red areas might help a bit (keep some in the fridge and rotate them), and cool bathes feel good, too.
There are some sunburn lotions with aloe vera and lidocaine in it.
I use Ocean Potion when I get a burn and it really helps take the sting out.

I have heard that tea takes the heat out of sunburn. Aloe vera, also.

I, too, would avoid vaseline.

Could be PMLE:

Polymorphous light eruption (PMLE). At least O. in 10 Americans is affected by PMLE, a reaction that does not appear to be linked to drugs or diseases. More common in women than in men and beginning at any age, PMLE occurs in people who are susceptible and are exposed to intense sunlight that they are not used to. For example, people living in northern climates could experience this if taking a winter vacation in a tropical climate.

In some cases, this reaction gets better each year, but some people have reactions that become more extensive without treatment. And, how much sunlight individuals can tolerate varies from person to person.

Symptoms are a severe skin rash, usually appearing within 30 minutes to several hours of going out in the sun. The rash may be itchy and have these characteristics:

* Small bumps all over the body
* Dense clumps of bumps
* Hives, usually on the arms, lower legs, and chest

Treatment info:
For severe sunburn, these simple remedies usually do the trick:

* Get out of the sun.
* Take a cool (not cold) shower or bath or apply cool compresses.
* Drink extra fluids for a few days.
* Take ibuprofen or acetaminophen to relieve pain.
* Use aloe gel or another moisturizer.
* Completely cover sunburned areas when going outside.

Seek immediate medical care for these symptoms:

* A sunburn that forms blisters, covers a large area, or is very painful
* Facial swelling
* Fever and chills
* Upset stomach
* Headache, confusion, or faintness
* Signs of dehydration

Treatment for PMLE depends on its severity. Other than staying out of the sun and protecting yourself when you are, you may not need treatment. The rash can clear by itself within seven to 10 days. For solar urticaria, antihistamines are effective in some cases.

Other treatment or prevention for either type of reaction may include:

* Topical corticosteroids
* Sunscreen with both ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet A (UVA) protection
* Phototherapy with psoralen UV light (PUVA) to desensitize skin to UV light
* Low-dose antimalarials (for PMLE)

aloe vera gel works wonders to tame a sunburn. You can buy it at the grocery store or the health food store. The vaseline basically helps the skin to retain moisture but doesnt really add moisture back in.

Noxzema also feels really good on sunburns.

The kids on my soccer team say I can burn by moonlight, so I know how your little one feels. Some of the best tips I have gotten both from doctors and family through the years are as follows:
In terms of prevention always check the expiration dates on your sunscreen and reapply often. Wear hats or light sleeves if you can.
If you get a burn anyway, as I often do, take ibuprofen to reduce swelling and Benadryll to counter the reaction. (I was told that a sunburn is an allergic reaction to the sun.) Aloe gel, preferrably directly from the plant is very healing and soothing. My parents gave me two aloe plants just for this purpose. You break off a piece and give it a squeeze and rub the gel onto your burn. The plant won't be hurt by breaking off pieces. It will continue to grow and self repair.
Milk baths are also good. Mix milk and cool water and soak.
Good luck to your little one. If he doesn't really improve soon I would call his doctor. Sometimes you need a little more treatment than what you can put together at home.

I would avoid Vaseline because petroleum products do not allow the skin to breathe and can trap heat. The same goes for most moisturizers.

Aloe is simple, all-natural, and wonderfully healing. It feels cool on contact and will allow the skin to breathe and heal faster.

Cool compresses also help.

Some product lines like Kiss My Face and Burts Bees also have "after sun" soothing lotions.

Hydrate diligently with WATER and avoid anything with caffeine - it's dehydrating.

Poor little guy - good luck!

I am convinced that Arnica gel helps the sunburn heal faster, especially if I get it on soon after the sunburn - like any homeopathic. Other people I know that have tried say they don't nitoce a difference though.

Solarcaine helps. Its supposed to take out the hurt and burn. You should read the can and see what it says for bad burns.

White Vinegar is supposed to help. It never took out the sore though. The burn, yes. I'm sure it works for some and not for others.

I'm a redhead, so sunburns are my specialty (I even burn through SPF 110 sunblock if I'm not careful).

Start by trying the Ocean Potion sunburn relief. It's in blue. Works terrific and really provides good relief. That's always my starting point.

If the bumps start to get itchy (and most likely they will), move on to Calamine lotion. That can give good relief from the itch. If that doesn't work, move on to cortisone creams.

I know aloe vera works well for a lot of people but never has for me.

Hope he feels better soon!

Blisters can be an indication of second degree burns. So be glad he does not have that.He may have a heat rash.. Call the pedi just to check in with them..

The Tylenol is good. Cool baths and then use the same sunscreen you put on him when he was out in the sun..

FYI, make sure the sunscreen has not expired, it needs to be purchased new each year.. We even keep ours in the fridge.. May feel good to have cool sunscreen rubbed on him.

try yogurt on the skin. Its cool and refreshing. Vaseline isn't a good idea, because as people said below, it holds the heat in.

My wife and I have aloe growing in our yard. We use that. Works great!

The tiny bums, if viewed with a magnifiying glass, may be tiny blisters

Good luck to you and yours.

I also let my kids soak in a tub with baby oil.

Lavendar essential oil is the best! It amazes me how it takes the red out of the burn so effectively. It's what we use.I wouldn't use vaseline for anything. It is petroleum, which means it is made from crude oil. It is not good for you to have that on your skin.

I hate when this happens. Sunburns are no fun.

First stop with the Vaseline. It is oil based and will hold the heat in.

A cool bath will bring temoprary relief, pat dry do not rub dry as that will make it sting. Then aloe gel will bring cooling and help repair the skin. If needed there is aloe on the market with lidocane in it. Lidocane is a numbing agent. It helps, There is also a product called solarcain that you can buy (often that you have to ask the pharmicist for even though it is over the counter) It is a lidocaine spray that cools and numbs. I usually use the aloe in the day and after bath, then right before bed use the lidocaine spray to help them get to sleep.
Keep going with the tylenol.

alo vera - thats the answer . buy a plant . and use the juice straight from the plant .or by some juice and use it on his skin and put some in his drinks . he needs to moisturize from the inside out . stop useing the vasolilne . its to heavey and holds the heat in as well no cooling effect from that . you can use cold cucumber slices on his eyes too . or any where acturally but its cooling and you can help hydrate him by giving him lots of water . that really helps alot .

Didn't read all the responses, but I'd get some aloe vera gel. Sold at all drug stores, it's cooling and will help with the dryness and burning.

Sorry this is a little too late but for next time when anyone in the house gets a sunburn put vinegar on a paper towel and dab onto the sunburn. Do not use too close to the eyes for the fumes can iretate them. I know that vinegar smells but it works great at removing the heat as well as the pain. Aloe never works for me. I always feel like I am sticking to something when I use it. Any type of vinagar works. I use the white but only because I always have a gallon of it in my house. Hope your son is feeling better soon.

Vaseline is a petroleum product probably holds in the heat too. Would not use that. Aloe vera is fine. But with the lips I don't know how that will feel either. I have had burn on my lips before and I went to the drug store and looked for things specifically for the lips. Neutrogena has some great products.